The Tears of Love
by twistedbrain
Summary: What happens when betrayal from the least suspected source happens? Why, chaos, of course.
1. The Betrayal

Ch. 1-The Betrayal

"No, no, don't cry, please don't cry. It-it's not you, it's me." Beatrice gently tried to console her hysterical boyfriend.

He shook his head. "No, Beatrice, no, don't leave me! You know it's not true, you know that newspaper lies, please!"

"Lemony, I-I'm sorry. All the evidence points to you, I know the Punctilio's reputation. They don't have anything to do with my decision. I just can't be with you anymore, knowing how likely it is that you did this."

At these words, Lemony turned, trying to control himself. "Go," he said tensely, "go. You need to leave. Now." Beatrice sighed, nodded once, and left quietly. She left the rose given to her that morning by Lemony, and that hurt him most of all. He sank down to the floor, put his head between his hands, and cried himself to sleep.

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Next morning, Jacques walked into his brother's apartment, saw the pathetic pale lump that was his brother, and his heart melted. He walked over to Lemony, roused him gently, and asked, "She left, didn't she?"

Lemony broke down and told the whole story, all the while being hugged by his brother. When he was finished, he looked at Jacques and said, "I can't take this. We were perfect. Jacques, what do I do?" He sounded almost hysterical again.

"We should go. Beatrice is no longer to be trusted, and VFD needs to know." Jacques gently lifted his brother to his feet and guided him to his car.

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All throughout the meeting, Lemony sat dumb, unconnected, not hearing anything that was being said. All he heard was, "I just can't be with you anymore. I just can't be with you anymore." He fought to keep himself under control. It wasn't easy.

R. rose. "Lemony, I think you better tell us the whole story, what was said, what was done, everything." Lemony related the story in a pale, numb voice, clearly in pain, barely keeping the tears in. Once it was over, he sat down again, pale as he was before, eyes unfocused.

"This is not good." No one spoke it aloud, but all knew it, all thought it. Beatrice was the most loved, most trusted, most dedicated member of VFD. Until she broke up with Lemony. A person who believed Lemony, of all people, could commit arson and then lie about it, didn't deserve to be trusted. Anyone who thought he could possibly be guilty couldn't stay. And, since it was Beatrice, it was worse. All he had done for her, all the sacrifices he had made for her, and she still believed he was guilty.

This was, without a doubt, the ultimate betrayal.


	2. The Regrets

Ch. 2- The Regrets

Beatrice left Lemony's apartment, her head bowed, her arms trembling. What had she done? She realized the implications of her actions, them being shunning, VFD expulsion, and the loss of the love of her life. But she couldn't go back, she couldn't apologize. What was done was done, and there was nothing she could do about it. But she knew she would regret it later.

In her despair, she walked all night, and not noticing where she was going, found herself at the entrance to the VFD meeting hall. It was second nature for her to walk there, so she did without even realizing it. Beatrice quietly entered the hall, trying to hear if anyone was in there. There was, as it was the very meeting where she was being discussed. Her eyes widened and filled with tears as she heard Lemony relate the story, and hearing the responses made to the tale. She realized that her VFD time was over, and she was alone in the world.

Head bowed again, she ran to the last safe place, collapsing in a heap at the edge of the lake. There, she released all her tensions, all her regrets, all her sadness in a flood of tears, thinking she was alone. But she wasn't. A face stuck out of the front door of the hotel, and was soon followed by its body. The manager, for that was who it was, walked out and sat next to her, and put his arms around her. She knew instantly that it was Frank, being talented at telling them apart. It was a gift of hers, she supposed. "Oh, Frank," she sobbed. "Frank, what have I done? I've made a terrible mistake."

"Come on, come inside the hotel. You can stay in my room." Frank lifter her, as Jacques had lifted Lemony that morning, and led her to the elevator. "You know where it is, am I correct?"

Beatrice stumbled through the hall of the hotel where his room was until she got to the room shared by the Denouement brothers, Dewey and Frank. Ernest had his own room, as the three weren't exactly on speaking terms. She collapsed on his bed, and cried until she had no tears left.

Frank entered the room just as she was drying her eyes, and sighed. "I know what you've done. I've just received word. I'm supposed to turn you out if I find you here." Her head shot up, eyes huge. "But I won't. I care about you, Beatrice. I know why you thought what you did, even though I may not approve, or agree. Don't expect solace from Dewey or Ernest. Dewey isn't understanding of situations like these, and Ernest, evil though he may be, always respected Lemony for what he's done." His voice, though gentle, carried a tone of firmness and hurt that broke Beatrice's heart.

Frank closed the door behind him. The sight of her, upset, regretful, softened his heart, even considering what she had done. "She can't stay here for long. She'll be found, and who knows what will happen then?" he thought. His hand tightened into a fist. "Why did she have to come here? Here, with me, who's always cared for her, who's always loved her? This means I have less of a chance than I ever did, even if she does love me back." He turned to the wall, and banged his head, three times, upon it. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but he had to help her.


	3. The Discovery

Ch. 3- The Discovery

"She's here? Frank, how could you do this?" Needless to say, Frank was right about Dewey's response to the situation. "If you're found out, you could be cast out of VFD!"

Frank sighed. "I know. You think I haven't thought about that? Dewey, she has nowhere to go, no one to turn to! She's alone in the world, and we have to take her in."

Dewey scoffed, but relented. He didn't like it, but Frank was his brother, and he was going to support him in this. "You know Ernest isn't going to like this." Frank nodded. "And you know that VFDers often come here." Another nod. "So, how're you going to fix this? What do you plan to do if one of them finds her here?"

"I don't know, Dewey! I just don't know. All I know is that she's here now, she's in pain, and she's alone." Dewey sighed, accepting that Beatrice was here for good, or at least until they could find her someplace to go.

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Lemony sat in his apartment, his shock and sorrow gone. Now he was brimming with anger. How dare she do this to him? After the sugar bowl, after the way he'd felt about her? He punched the wall, coming back with nothing but a sore hand.

Jacques sat at Lemony's kitchen table, watching his brother in silence. Kit had returned from the meeting with them, and she sat next to Jacques, knowing how Lemony was tormenting himself, knowing how much he was hurting.

A flock of pigeons flew through the window, dropping the package they carried in Kit's lap. She opened the package, and hissed. Jacques leaned over, gasped, and took it from her, hands shaking.

It was a book, from Beatrice. It seemed she had been planning this breakup for a bit, enough time to write a book. He shook his head and opened it. He sighed, for it was an apology book of sorts, or it was meant to be. It was explaining why she had done what she did. "But," he whispered to his sister, "she must know this will only make things worse."

Kit did not answer, only took the book back and handed it to Lemony. Then she sat down and stared at him, angry at Beatrice for doing this to her brother. Jacques turned his head as Lemony opened Beatrice's book.

The anger flooded out of Lemony, replaced by a fresh wave of grief. He hiccupped suddenly, and dropped it on the table. He knew he'd have to read it eventually, but not now. He couldn't bear to read it now.

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Beatrice sat alone in Frank's room, as the pigeons left with her book. She hoped dearly that this would make Lemony understand, and not be angry or heartbroken any longer. Deep down, though, she knew it was a mistake. She had been making a lot of mistakes lately.

The door opened, shocking her back to reality. In the doorway stood Dewey, his face hard with anger. He had told his brother that he would help him, but he never said he wouldn't be mad with Beatrice.

"How could you, Beatrice." It wasn't a question. "How dare you do this to him, to all of us, my brother especially. Don't you know how he feels about you?" She shook her head. "He loves you, even now. Don't know why, but he does. And now he knows he doesn't have a chance."

Beatrice gasped. "Oh, no. I shouldn't have come here, I didn't mean to hurt him," flashed through her mind. Instead she asked, "How long?" in a constricted voice.

"Too long." Dewey was advancing upon her now, shaking with fury. "I'll never forgive you, Beatrice, for what you have done to my brother, and Lemony. You've broken both their hearts. Don't expect comfort from me. You won't get it, because you don't deserve it." He stormed out, slamming the door behind him, leaving Beatrice in shock behind him.


	4. The Confrontation

Ch. 4-The Confrontation

Beatrice, after getting over her shock, left the room to try and find Frank, to talk to him, to explain. She needed to talk with him, to confirm what Dewey said. Dewey's outburst had raised a lot of feelings, and she needed to sort them out.

"Frank!" she called, spotting him in the kitchens. He turned, gave a half-hearted smile, and started towards her. "Frank, I need to talk to you. I need to talk to you about something Dewey said to me."

Frank quickly looked at Dewey, then walked up and took Beatrice's hand. An involuntary flutter ran through her heart, but she shook it off. "Now is not the time!" she told herself.

Frank took her out to the lake, sat down next to her on the shore, and turned an expectant face to her. "Well, Dewey was talking, well, more like yelling, to me earlier, and he said a few things. He said you loved me. If that's true, I'm sorry for putting you in this situation, Frank. I really am. I never meant to hurt you."

Frank blinked. "He told you that? I'll kill him!" He stood. "Apology accepted." He started for the door of the hotel, seeking vengeance for his blabbed secret.

Beatrice held him back. "So, it's true?" He nodded reluctantly, almost angrily. "Because, since he said that, I've been feeling something. I can't explain it, but it's there, and it's real."

He looked at her tear-streaked face, the blush creeping up her cheeks, and his heart did a backflip. He leaned closer to her, not entirely sure what he was doing. Beatrice, however, did know. She leaned up and kissed him, a short, tentative, shy kiss. Then she pulled away, embarrassed even more.

A face peered at them out of a high window. If you were to look closely at this face, you would see that it looked exactly like Frank's, but that it was flushed with rage and hurt. Dewey knew that Beatrice would break Frank's heart, just like she broke Lemony's, and he wouldn't stand for that. It would hurt his brother, but Dewey had to put a stop to it. He looked again at the two kissing figures by the lake, and a tear ran down his face.

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Lemony had gone to lie down, the shock of his sudden breakup leaving him drained and upset. Jacques had left Kit there with him, to look after him. He needed to get back to the meeting hall, he had said.

Kit didn't stay for long. Once she knew Lemony was asleep, she went to go find Dewey, the man she loved more than life itself. She hastily scribbled a note for when Lemony woke, picked up the book, and took it with her.

Half an hour later, Kit arrived at the Hotel Denouement's back door. She entered the building and asked Ernest for Dewey. He told her Dewey was upstairs, in his room. She thanked him and ran off to the elevator.

Dewey heard a knock on his door, and opened it to reveal Kit. She hugged him, walked into the room, and handed him the book. "I trust you've heard the news. This is what she just sent him."

Dewey looked it over, threw it on the bed, and told Kit Beatrice was there with them. He knew she could be trusted not to fly out of control. "And now she's down there, kissing my brother, and I know she's going to hurt him. And I have to stop it. Kit, please help me."

Kit was angry, yes, but she also sort of understood how Frank was feeling. "You're right, of course, we have to stop it. But how? How do we do it? Have you tried talking to him yet, telling him what you suspect?"

"He'll be angry, he'll think I'm trying to take away his happiness." Kit frowned, and sat down next to Dewey to think.

* * *

A/N: I just realized there's no disclaimer, but if anyone here thinks I write well enough to be Daniel Handler, I'm flattered, because these are all his characters, places, etc. 

Much thanks to my reviewers:

Sarah: Thanks for your lovely comments.

WhiteTiger xx Nag: There you go. I updated. (:

Em Quagmire: Thanks so much for your loving and supportive words. (:

Okay,I need, um, five rewiews before I update. Five.


	5. The Blowout

Ch. 5- The Blowout

Kit had called Jacques over for help. She and Dewey had sat for a long time, trying to think of something to do. Jacques had about the same reaction to Beatrice being there that Dewey did, for such a quiet, shy person. Eventually, though, he calmed down, and agreed to help them.

Jacques sat on the edge of Frank's bed, biting his lip in thought. "So, you're saying that Frank is in love with Beatrice, and you saw them kissing?" Dewey nodded tersely. "Oh, boy. We need to get Beatrice away from here. We can't risk her being with Frank; it's too dangerous." The others nodded.

Unfortunately for them, Frank had walked in at that moment. "What! What do you think you're saying, it's too dangerous? You're just trying to take away the last bit of happiness I have! How dare you! I can take care of myself! Get out, all of you! You're not welcome here! Leave!"

Dewey stood, holding Kit's hand. "Fine. But when she hurts you, like we all know she will and are trying to protect you from, don't come crying to us. You brought it on yourself, Frank. Now deal with the choice you have to make. Her, a heartbreaking traitor, or your own brother and best friends?" Frank made no answer. "Let us know when you make your choice," he finished coldly.

With that, he swept out of the room, Kit behind him, giving him an equally cold, hard look. Jacques left last, flashing him a hurt, confused face as he went through the door. Frank's face was purple with fury, his hands were balled, but that face sent a shooting pain through his resolve, and he sat down suddenly.

Beatrice looked in after a bit. "What's wrong, Frank?" she asked softly, putting her arms around him and her head ontop of his. Frank shook his head to indicate nothing was the matter, and stood up. "They want to play like that, that's fine," he thought.

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Kit, Dewey, Jacques, and Lemony were at the meeting hall, talking with M. The trio had brought Lemony because they thought he needed to hear this. M. was told the whole story, with Beatrice, Frank, the book, everything. Lemony's head was down, and his hands were shaking, hearing of his friend's betrayal to him.

M. stood. "Thank you for telling me. I'll get right on it. We'll talk to Frank." He shook the hands of all four of the volunteers, giving Lemony a comforting smile as well. "Everything will be alright."

Lemony nodded. He raised his head, and his eyes were surprisingly sharp and focused. They were also filled with anger. "Frank will pay for this," was all he said. The tone he used was so ominous, so foreboding, that the others stepped back involuntarily.

"Dewey, Kit, I want you to go back to the Hotel, and keep and eye on Frank. We'll be there later this evening. Jacques, I want you to find R. and the rest of them, and tell them of this. Lemony, I think you should go with Jacques." The quartet nodded, Dewey and Kit going one way, Lemony and Jacques the other. M. sighed. "Oh, boy. I hope this works."


	6. The Arrival

Ch. 6- The Arrival

Three children arrived at the Hotel the next day, brought by Kit. She wouldn't have agreed to this, but M. thought it best that they continue. They had had this planned for a long time, the arrival of these three. Naturally, it was in all's best interest that Beatrice be hidden, so she was.

Frank went out to accept them when the signal came. He greeted them amiably enough, but wasn't oblivious to the fact that Kit had already left. That wasn't part of the original plan. Anger coursed through him quickly, but was gone just as fast.

The children were dressed, ready to go, and Frank set them to work. Well, technically, that was Ernest, but he pointed them in the right direction, at least. The day passed fairly normally, except for the harpoon gun, of course, but other than that, he enjoyed the busy day. He needed distractions from his life's troubles.

That night, as the clock chimed, Frank heard a commotion as he was going to bed. The three children were walking, walking with Dewey! Ugh, what he could be telling them about him! He followed close behind them.

They were talking, but not about him. They were talking about American poetry, nobility, and the true last safe place. The youngest one figured it out, of course. The baby knew it was the pond, not the hotel. Then, the worst thing of all happened. Olaf turned up.

Olaf and the volunteers talked a bit, a bratty girl yelled, freaks unveiled themselves, and a harpoon gun was produced. Olaf pointed it at the three children, and started yelling out numbers, counting down. The three children advanced upon him, slowly but surely.

He was just getting to a very low number, and Frank's heart was tightened so much he couldn't breathe, when a fool in strange pajamas walked in. Frank gasped. But, he wasn't so shocked to not notice that the harpoon gun was suddenly in the hands of the children, and it was one harpoon short.

Frank heard his brother cry out in pain, and Frank did too. A searing pain shot through his heart, and he cried out in anguish and misery. No one heard, as they were too preoccupied with his dying brother.

He ran to his room, and flung himself down upon the bed, trying not to look at the now-vacated bed beside him. He sobbed into his pillow. "Why, why did he have to die when we were fighting? Oh, Dewey, I loved you, my brother, and now you're gone, I'm so sorry Dewey, I'm sorry, please forgive me, Dewey!" He cried himself to sleep, as Lemony had that first night without his Beatrice.

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The news of Dewey Denouement's untimely, gruesome death spread fast. Before too long, the news reached the ears of the volunteers. More importantly, they reached Kit's ears, after she and Jacques had returned from the Hotel to give M. the green light. She cried out and collapsed upon the floor.

Now, Kit had been wearing loose, baggy clothes lately, and as she tugged off her sweater, it was revealed why. She had a secret, a big secret, that she was keeping from everyone. She was pregnant. Now that the father was dead, she wanted it to no longer be a secret. The baggy clothes were to hide the curve of her belly.

As she sat, crying hysterically, her sweater next to her, the people around and near her gasped and some fainted. Jacques, however, was not in the least surprised. He figured she was hiding something, and with the clothes, well, it wasn't hard to put two and two together.

He sat next to his grieving sister, put his arms around her, and hugged her tight. She cried into his shoulder, glad for the comfort. M. and R. came and sat with them, crying as well. Dewey was as well-liked as Beatrice used to be. But, unlike Beatrice, he would remain so. M. was resolved to commemorate Dewey's life, death, and impacts upon the world somehow. Dewey Denouement would go down in VFD history.


	7. The Repercussions

Ch. 7- The Repercussions

Beatrice knocked on Frank's door. She had heard of the tragedy and wanted to be sure he was all right. She received nothing but a sniffle in reply, so she opened the door. Frank was sitting on his bed, face tear-streaked, eyes red, nose sniffling and running. Her heart went out to him. She went to him, sat next to him, embraced him.

Frank looked at her sorrowfully, obviously in pain. She kissed him, crying herself, and laid her head on his shoulder. Frank, however, shook her off. "This is why we fought. This is why he died angry at me," he murmured.

"Frank, what are you saying?" Beatrice asked quickly, and he explained about his and Dewey's fight, about the others siding with him, about Frank witnessing his brother's death and knowing that they would never make up. She gasped. "Oh, dear, that's terrible!"

Frank, numb as Lemony was, said slowly, quietly, "I don't think I can keep this up, Beatrice. I think you should probably go." He suddenly realized the irony of the situation, but far from being funny, it depressed him even more.

Beatrice stood, in shock, Lemony's words coming back to her: "Go. Go. You need to leave. Now." She refused to cry; instead, she became angry. "Fine. I'll get my stuff and be out of here by morning. I thought you loved me, Frank. I thought you loved me like I loved you." She stormed out of the room, slamming the door as Dewey had done.

Frank sat down, suddenly going cold. "Dewey was right," he whispered. "Dewey was absolutely right, I'm hurt. And it's her fault." He lay down, falling asleep almost immediately.

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Beatrice was furious. How dare Frank do that to her, the woman who loved him! She threw her few belongings into a bag, a bit more harshly than she expected to. Above her, she could hear the sounds of people arriving for the children's trial. She really didn't care about Dewey, or those children. She just wanted to be out of there.

She sat down and listened to the sounds of the evidence being submitted, saltwater taffy being eaten, and tea being drank. Suddenly, she sat bolt upright. There was yelling. People moving. And, the sound of the two most dreaded people in the world talking to someone who sounded suspiciously like Olaf.

She grabbed the bag, and headed for the stairs. She figured that the elevator would be out of use, if not now, very soon. Beatrice darted up the stairs and into the kitchen, where the stairs came out. She couldn't see, the kitchen steam was so thick. The kitchen was big, so she spent at least a quarter of an hour trying to find her way out.

By that time, the fire had already been set, and people were rushing for the exits. She tripped and fell, easily breaking her ankle by landing on someone's rather pointy shoe. She rolled on the floor in pain, knowing suddenly that there was no way she could get out, that she would die here, in the hotel of the man who had just broken up with her. Bitter irony rose into her mouth and brain, and as the smoke swept through the lobby and began stifling her breathing, all she could think about was her regrets.

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The noise had awoken Frank soon enough for him to get safely out of the hotel through the fire escape. He looked around at the people fleeing the hotel, and realized that he didn't see Beatrice among them. His heart dropped. He still cared about her, and now she was gone.

A boat flew off the roof, but he took barely any notice. He was walking towards the VFD meeting hall, knowing that he wouldn't be accepted there, but still wanting to go. It was a long walk, and once he reached it, he entered out of breath.

What he saw was a curious thing. There was a crying, pregnant Kit, and three crying males around her. There was red eyes all around him, and he could only guess they had heard about his brother. Nobody would look at him, but he could understand that. Kit glared at him through her tears, hurt and shocked, and there was nothing but rage for him in those eyes.

Frank knew what he had to do, and he knew it wouldn't be easy. He sat down next to Kit, Jacques, R., and M., and said, simply, "I'm sorry." Then he rose and walked towards the exit.

Kit stopped him. "Wait," she said. "How- I mean, how did he die?" Frank smiled.

"He died doing what he thought was right. Which is more than I can say about myself." He did indeed leave then, heading for Lemony's house.


	8. The Apology

Ch. 8- The Apology

Lemony had also heard of Dewey, but had no more tears to shed. This is why he did not cry when Frank appeared in his apartment. He merely fixed him with a cold stare and said, "Sit."

Frank sat. "Look, Lemony. What I did was wrong, I know that. I just came to apologize. I'm so sorry, Lemony. Also, you should probably know that, well," he hesitated here, "she's gone, Lemony. Smoke inhalation. I feel terrible, really, I do."

Lemony sighed and closed his eyes. "She was really something, wasn't she? I know why you did what you did. I can't say I liked it, but I understand it. And thank you for telling me, um, the other thing, as well." Lemony rose from his chair and reached out his hand.

Frank took it, shaking it firmly. Then he hugged his friend Lemony hard. Lemony returned the hug, and their friendship was rekindled, though it would never be the same as it was before.

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Ernest picked through the rubble that was once his hotel. He sighed sadly at the mess. Then he came across a body. He had found a lot of those, but this body was different. Her hands were clasped around her leg, her lips were pressed shut, and her eyes were clouded over. Her dress, charred as it was, was still beautiful on her. Ernest lifted the body gently, and brought her to the edge of the lake.

Ernest cast Beatrice into the water carefully. She would rest forever with Dewey, in the true last safe place. He hoped it would be such for her, as it was for the volunteers before the fire.


	9. The Baby

Ch. 9- The Baby

-An amount of time later-

"Oh, Kit! She's beautiful," Jacques breathed, holding Kit and Dewey's newborn daughter in his arms. Kit, pale as she was, smiled, practically glowing. The young girl was to be named Aqua, for her sea-blue eyes. You could practically see the foam.

Lemony reached over and took Aqua from Jacques, smiling at his niece. "Dewey would love you," he thought fondly. He looked up at Frank, standing a bit off to the side, but beaming as much as any of them. He had never really gotten over his brother's death, and was a bit distant most of the time.

"Okay, okay, everyone out," the doctor said, bustling into the room. "We need to clean up Aqua a bit, and take care of Kit." At these words, every eye went to Kit, pale and weak. She wasn't doing too well at all. Frank and Ernest bit their lips in unison, the way only triplets can do. Lemony and Jacques looked worried and handed Aqua to the doctor.

The doctor shooed everyone out of the room, handing Aqua to a nurse nearby. He went to Kit's side and looked at the monitor next to her bed. Almost a straight line, which meant almost gone. "Kit, what do you think you're doing?" he murmured. "You can't die on us now." Then a beep, and a straight line.

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Lemony and the others sat in the waiting room. Lemony was pacing, Jacques paling, Ernest crying. Frank, however, sat staring at the wall. The doctor came in on this sad scene, hesitated, then said, "I'm sorry, but-but, she's gone. We lost her."

Jacques sighed heavily, putting his head in his hands. Lemony sat suddenly, and his shoulders began to shake and his eyes closed. Frank rose, and walked to Kit's room, not paying any attention to the doctor, and Ernest followed.

Kit lay on the bed, serene, calm, dead. As Ernest walked to her side, he noticed she was smiling gently, as though she was very happy. "She's with Dewey now," he thought.

Frank suddenly broke down and cried. He hadn't cried since Beatrice died, but boy, did he sob now. "Why, Kit, why?" he whispered. Jacques entered, put his arm around Frank's shaking shoulders, and bit his lip. He didn't want to cry, not here, not now.

Lemony rose from the chair and followed his brother into the room. However, unlike Jacques, he did not cry. His own tears stopped, he smiled, and sighed. He realized how happy she finally was, and wanted to be happy for her. Her pain hadn't stopped since Dewey's death, and now she was with him again. Where was the sorrow in that?

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The memorial service was short, sad, and filled with an air of loss. Except for one person, Lemony, who still refused to be sad. This earned him strange looks from all except Ernest, who understood his reasoning, and agreed 100. Though on opposite sides, the two were friends in this one category, this one idea.

Aqua sat in Frank's lap, sleeping peacefully, quietly sucking her tiny thumb. He kissed the top of his niece's head, and she smiled in her sleep. He gave a tiny sigh, and looked up. Kit's casket was being closed, and she was still smiling very gently. He closed his eyes, keeping back his tears.

Jacques suddenly stood and darted. He couldn't be here for this, not his twin sister's burial. He couldn't take it and ran, ran as Beatrice had that first night towards the Hotel. Jacques, however, ran from the Hotel, ran to his brother Lemony's house, and collapsed in a heap before the front door.


	10. The End

Ch. 10- The End

The gang eventually recovered from the loss of Kit. Aqua was now able to crawl rather fast, and could walk with a bit of help. Lemony loved his little niece, and had started writing. He decided to write about those three orphans at the Hotel Denouement, the ones partly responsible for the fire that killed his Beatrice. He didn't hold them responsible, though. They couldn't have known.

Aqua was staying with Jacques, who took the death of his sister the hardest of all. He was getting better, though, his depression quickly evaporating as Aqua grew older. He still missed Kit, but now he remembered her fondly instead of sadly as he did on the day of her funeral.

Frank had gone slightly mad in his grief, but was getting professional help and was doing fine, currently in therapy. The loss of his brother was devastating to him; they had been so close. That, coupled with Kit's death, drove him slightly over the edge. The doctors said he could be out and good as new within the month.

Ernest, shocked by the recent deaths, had defected and gone good. Olaf wasn't happy about that, no siree, but with the entire VFD on his side, he couldn't really do anything about it. Ernest was hidden for two weeks, then sent out on mission to a remote island off the coast. He wrote, but not often.

The four, when Ernest was there, took comfort in each other's company. VFD declined, but their friendship grew. Aqua grew into a fine young volunteer, recruited at the age of 10. She often asked after her parents during her first talking years, but soon stopped when she realized how much it hurt her family

Frank was rather put out, of course, when he found out about Kit's "burial", which didn't help his mental state. Ernest made sure to break the news gently, and that helped, but Frank was still upset. He and Ernest grew closer, although they were never as close as Frank and Dewey were.

IN MEMORY OF KIT SNICKET AND DEWEY DENOUEMENT


End file.
